2008 Pendle Borough Council election

The 2008 Pendle Borough Council election took place on 1 May 2008 to elect members of Pendle Borough Council in Lancashire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Liberal Democrats lost overall control of the council to no overall control.[1]

Main article: Pendle Borough Council elections
Map of the results of the 2008 Pendle Borough Council election. Conservatives in blue, Labour in red, Liberal Democrats in yellow, British National Party in dark blue and independent in grey. Wards in dark grey were not contested in 2008.

After the election, the composition of the council was

Background

Before the election the Liberal Democrats held control of the council with 28 seats,[3] but a loss of 4 seats would mean they lost their majority.[4] 17 seats were contested in the election, with the Liberal Democrats defending 12, the Conservatives 4 and Labour 1 seat.[3]

5 councillors stood down at the election, 2 Liberal Democrats from Bradley and Walverden wards, 2 Conservatives from Earby and Reedley and Labour's David Whalley from Vivary Bridge ward.[3] Councillors who were defending seats included the leader of the council, Liberal Democrat Alan Davies, in Boulsworth, deputy mayor Marjorie Adams in Coates ward and the chairman of the Nelson committee David Foster in Clover Hill.[3] The only candidates standing in the election not from the 3 main parties, were 4 from the British National Party and 2 independents.[3]

Campaign

The election saw complaints of voting fraud involving postal voting, leading to a police investigation[5] and the matter being raised in Parliament by the local Member of Parliament Gordon Prentice.[6] These allegations involved both the Liberal Democrat parliament candidate for Pendle constituency Afzal Anwar and Labour councillor Mohammed Tariq, after multiple postal votes were registered at their addresses.[7] Both men denied doing anything and were supported by their parties, saying everyone registered at the addresses were entitled to vote.[7] The police dropped the enquiry after concluding that there had been no wrongdoing.[8]

During the campaign the national Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg visited Pendle to support his party.[9]

Election result

The results saw the Liberal Democrats lost their majority on the council after suffering a net loss of 8 seats.[10] Defeated councillors for the Liberal Democrats included the leader of the council Alan Davies in Boulsworth, Nelson Committee chairman David Foster in Clover Hill, Shelley Franklin in Craven, Frank Wren in Brierfield and Judith Robinson in Southfield.[11] The Liberal Democrats blamed their defeats on a targeted campaign by the Conservatives, while the Conservatives said the "tide is now turning towards us".[12]

The Labour and Conservative parties both made significant gains from the Liberal Democrats.[11] However Labour did lose one seat back to the Liberal Democrats in Vivary Bridge and the Conservatives lost a seat in Marsden to the British National Party.[11] There was also a success for an independent candidate, with Glenn Whittaker taking Craven from the Liberal Democrats.[11] These results meant the Liberal Democrats held 20 seats, the Conservatives 16, Labour 10, British National Party 2 as well as 1 independent.[13] Overall turnout in the election was 41.58%.[14]

Following the election the parties held talks on control of the council with reports that an agreement between the Conservative and Labour parties to take over from the Liberal Democrats was possible.[15] However these were not successful and the new leader of the Liberal Democrats group, John David, became leader of the council at the head of a minority administration,[13] after an 18-17 vote at the council meeting.[16]

Pendle local election result 2008[14][17]
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Conservative 6 3 1 +2 35.3 40.5 10,911 +5.9%
  Labour 5 5 1 +4 29.4 23.0 6,183 +5.3%
  Liberal Democrats 4 1 9 -8 23.5 29.5 7,954 -5.3%
  BNP 1 1 0 +1 5.9 4.8 1,289 -2.2%
  Independent 1 1 0 +1 5.9 2.2 602 -2.1%

Ward results
Map of the results of the 2008 Pendle Borough Council election with ward names.
Barrowford[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Anthony Beckett 1,136 67.3 +0.4
Labour Susan Nike 411 24.4 -0.9
Liberal Democrats Michael Bradshaw 140 8.3 +0.5
Majority 725 43.0 +1.4
Turnout 1,687 42.4 +0.8
Conservative hold Swing
Boulsworth[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Michael Calvert 1,189
Conservative George Askew 1,006
Liberal Democrats Alan Davies 663
Liberal Democrats David Robertson 618
Labour Gerard McCabe 133
Labour John Pope 69
Turnout 3,678 48.4
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Bradley[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Mohammad Sakib 946 54.1 +10.1
Liberal Democrats Jamil Mohammed 474 27.1 -7.2
Conservative Zahid Chaudry 329 18.8 +4.1
Majority 472 27.0 +17.3
Turnout 1,749 39.3 -11.8
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Brierfield[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Naeem Ashraf 863 47.2 +25.3
Conservative Ann Jackson 632 34.6 +6.3
Liberal Democrats Francis Wren 332 18.2 -31.5
Majority 231 12.6
Turnout 1,827 49.7 -0.9
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Clover Hill[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Eileen Ansar 624 37.7 +13.8
Liberal Democrats David Foster 533 32.2 -0.6
Conservative Timothy Eyre 496 30.0 +18.0
Majority 91 5.5
Turnout 1,653 43.4 -2.1
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Coates[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Democrats Marjorie Adams 665 45.5 -4.2
Conservative Keith Bailey 637 43.6 +29.9
Labour William Skinner 158 10.8 +1.5
Majority 28 1.9 -20.4
Turnout 1,460 35.7 -1.8
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Craven[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Independent Glenn Whittaker 559 32.6 +5.3
Liberal Democrats Shelley Franklin 437 25.5 -21.4
Conservative Sandra Bunn 427 24.9 -0.9
BNP Geoffrey Whitehead 235 13.7 +13.7
Labour Robert Oliver 56 3.3 +3.3
Majority 122 7.1
Turnout 1,714 48.9 +10.9
Independent gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Earby[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Valerie Langtree 1,248 69.5 +0.4
Liberal Democrats Jacqueline Taylforth 325 18.1 +0.4
Labour David Foat 223 12.4 -0.7
Majority 923 51.4 +0.0
Turnout 1,796 39.0 -1.9
Conservative hold Swing
Horsfield[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Smith Benson 670 49.2 +28.1
Liberal Democrats Dorothy Lord 507 37.2 -6.5
Labour Anthony Hargreaves 185 13.6 -1.9
Majority 163 12.0
Turnout 1,362 34.3 -3.3
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Marsden[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
BNP Adam Grant 412 39.1 +0.8
Conservative Gary Rowland 339 32.2 +16.0
Labour Dorothy Ormrod 221 21.0 -10.0
Liberal Democrats Mark Upward 82 7.8 -6.7
Majority 73 6.9 -0.5
Turnout 1,054 41.1 -1.6
BNP gain from Conservative Swing
Reedley[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Michael Blomeley 1,250 71.1 +7.5
Labour Robert Allen 285 16.2 -3.6
Liberal Democrats Mubashir Ali 224 12.7 -3.9
Majority 965 54.9 +11.1
Turnout 1,759 42.8 -4.3
Conservative hold Swing
Southfield[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Sheila Wicks 547 36.6 +13.3
Conservative Paul McKenna 487 32.6 +14.5
Liberal Democrats Judith Robinson 462 30.9 -9.7
Majority 60 4.0
Turnout 1,496 37.1 -1.6
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Vivary Bridge[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Democrats Glennda Clegg 490 35.6 -10.3
Conservative Geoffrey Riley 393 28.5 +8.9
BNP Veronica Cullen 305 22.1 +2.6
Labour Ian Tweedie 189 13.7 -1.4
Majority 97 7.0 -19.3
Turnout 1,377 33.8 -1.0
Liberal Democrats gain from Labour Swing
Walverden[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Mohammed Khalid 610 44.0 -6.9
Liberal Democrats Asghar Ali 400 28.9 -8.3
Conservative Barbara King 376 27.1 +15.3
Majority 210 15.2 +1.5
Turnout 1,386 51.6 +0.9
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Waterside[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Democrats Anthony Greaves 492 39.9 -2.2
BNP Helen Mulligan 337 27.3 +7.4
Conservative James Ilott 211 17.1 +5.1
Labour Anthony Martin 151 12.2 -4.8
Independent Ian Robinson 43 3.5 -1.0
Majority 155 12.6 -9.6
Turnout 1,234 33.1 -5.1
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Whitefield[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Democrats Nadeem Ahmed 1,110 65.0 +21.3
Labour Mohammad Tariq 512 30.0 -21.7
Conservative Victoria Landriau 85 5.0 +0.4
Majority 598 35.0
Turnout 1,707 64.9 -6.8
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
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References
  1. "Pendle". BBC News Online. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
  2. "National: Full election results". The Guardian. 3 May 2008. p. 45.
  3. "May local elections - candidates announced". Burnley Express. 7 April 2008.
  4. Moseley, Tom (25 April 2008). "Pendle council elections preview". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 11 February 2011.
  5. "Police probe into Pendle vote fraud allegations". Burnley and Pendle Citizen. 9 April 2008. Retrieved 11 February 2011.
  6. Turner, Kate (23 April 2008). "Nelson house 'with 27 voters' brought up in Parliament". Burnley and Pendle Citizen. Retrieved 11 February 2011.
  7. Magill, Peter (11 April 2008). "27 voters at would-be MP's home". Burnley and Pendle Citizen. Retrieved 11 February 2011.
  8. Magill, Peter (28 April 2008). "Pendle Lib Dem MP candidate police probe dropped". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 11 February 2011.
  9. MAgill, Peter (16 April 2008). "Lib Dem leader visiting Burnley and Pendle". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 11 February 2011.
  10. Jenkins, Russell (2 May 2008). "Lib Dems refuse to admit defeat in Liverpool after Clegg's first ballot test". The Times. p. 27.
  11. "Pendle 'hung council' - local election results". Burnley Express. 2 May 2008.
  12. Hussain, Samrana (2 May 2008). "Pendle election results: Lib Dems lose overall control". Burnley and Pendle Citizen. Retrieved 11 February 2011.
  13. "Liberal Democrats to continue running Pendle Council". Burnley Express. 16 May 2008.
  14. "Election Results". Pendle Borough Council. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
  15. "Labour and Conservatives in talks over Pendle power-sharing". Lancashire Telegraph. 2 May 2008. Retrieved 11 February 2011.
  16. Hussain, Samrana (17 May 2008). "Lib Dems hang on to Pendle thanks to majority of one". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 11 February 2011.
  17. "Results". The Times. 3 May 2008. p. 14.
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